Showing posts with label Thesis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thesis. Show all posts
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thesis Defended
My thesis defense was last night, and I was successful. Now it's a matter of completing the adiministrative aspect, i.e. paperwork, and submitting my materials to Fort Collins. The thesis process is just about over.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
WPW Replacement
Instead of the regularly scheduled programming, I'm going to put up some thesis stuff. I'm up to my eyeballs preparing for my defense tomorrow, so I'm spreading it around. As part of the defense, I'll be distributing a single-spaced, one page handout that is designed to succinctly sum up 130+ pages of text, 25 pages of which are ultra dense critical analysis.
It's rather like squeezing a linebacker into a shoe box. Without further ado, here is the shoe box:
Overview: Into the Water features eight stories written in the mode of magical realism. These stories loosely trace a timeline beginning during the early colonization of North America and ending in the modern day. They explore an intersection between European and Native American folklore, using animal totems as each main character has a literal animal that acts as a guide to bring that character to a resolution within the story. While the stories are designed to stand alone, there is also a framework where the stories can be read as stories-with-a-story, framed by the first story, “There Once Was a Little Boy Who Walked Very, Very Far” and the last, “Needle and Thread.” They are the two most contemporary stories and both have the same main character.
Magical Realism: A description originally born of the writings of German art critic Franz Roh in 1925 and used to describe a style of art in which everyday subjects were presented “in such a way that the normal became unfamiliar” (Reeds 178). Later, Spanish writer José Ortega translated Roh’s work, taking liberties in the translation and applying the term to literature. This is where the association of magical realism with Latin America culture comes from as well as its use to describe literature “in which magical and realistic elements coexist with equal status” (Warnes 488).
Magical realism can be described in terms of the merger between the realistic and fantastic and analyzed on a spectrum which goes from the use of magic in a literal sense (ontological), where magic is a real force, and the use of magic as natural phenomenon (phenomenological), or something which could be explained as something other than magic (Reeds).
Stories in Into the Water fall along both sides of the spectrum.
Ontological stories: “When Bridgette Went Into the Water,” “Albatross,” “The Honeymoon of Mr. and Mrs. Roux,” and “Charlie’s Ghost.”
Phenomenological stories: “There Was Once a Little Boy Who Walked Very, Very Far,” “An Ocean Kind of Blue,” “The Movement of a Heart,” and “Needle and Thread.”
Cultural Studies: The main trait of magical realism is that of merger, which makes it an excellent genre for cultural considerations. J.M. Wise uses the term “third culture kids” to describe the cultural identity of those who have dual cultural background. This “third culture” is a hybrid creation. As an American of German descent, I identify with this hybridization and it is a theme which Into the Water is based in. The main characters are born of the hybridization of European culture and Native American culture as well as the hybridization of human and animal. In this way, using the mode of magical realism allowed me to express the exploration of culture by making cultural hybridization literal through symbolism.
Other Unifying Symbolic Motifs:
Water, which is traditionally associated with rebirth and change. “When Bridgette Went Into the Water” uses this symbolism when Bridgette crosses the Atlantic ocean to become the first (chronological) character to be changed by magic.
Birds, especially birds of prey, and specifically the falcon. Common falcon symbolism associates the bird with sight/illumination, which reinforces the role of the falcon as totem guide in the stories “There Once Was a Little Boy Who Walked Very, Very Far” and “Needle and Thread.”
Next Steps:
I have submitted stories from this collection for publication (they’re currently being reviewed by multiple magazines). I completed the first draft of a short novel of 53,000 words, Crossroads Promise, in September. The novel continues to develop the mythology introduced in Into the Water. I have now begun revisions on the novel, and, after another review, will begin submitting that novel to agents.
It's rather like squeezing a linebacker into a shoe box. Without further ado, here is the shoe box:
Overview: Into the Water features eight stories written in the mode of magical realism. These stories loosely trace a timeline beginning during the early colonization of North America and ending in the modern day. They explore an intersection between European and Native American folklore, using animal totems as each main character has a literal animal that acts as a guide to bring that character to a resolution within the story. While the stories are designed to stand alone, there is also a framework where the stories can be read as stories-with-a-story, framed by the first story, “There Once Was a Little Boy Who Walked Very, Very Far” and the last, “Needle and Thread.” They are the two most contemporary stories and both have the same main character.
Magical Realism: A description originally born of the writings of German art critic Franz Roh in 1925 and used to describe a style of art in which everyday subjects were presented “in such a way that the normal became unfamiliar” (Reeds 178). Later, Spanish writer José Ortega translated Roh’s work, taking liberties in the translation and applying the term to literature. This is where the association of magical realism with Latin America culture comes from as well as its use to describe literature “in which magical and realistic elements coexist with equal status” (Warnes 488).
Magical realism can be described in terms of the merger between the realistic and fantastic and analyzed on a spectrum which goes from the use of magic in a literal sense (ontological), where magic is a real force, and the use of magic as natural phenomenon (phenomenological), or something which could be explained as something other than magic (Reeds).
Stories in Into the Water fall along both sides of the spectrum.
Ontological stories: “When Bridgette Went Into the Water,” “Albatross,” “The Honeymoon of Mr. and Mrs. Roux,” and “Charlie’s Ghost.”
Phenomenological stories: “There Was Once a Little Boy Who Walked Very, Very Far,” “An Ocean Kind of Blue,” “The Movement of a Heart,” and “Needle and Thread.”
Cultural Studies: The main trait of magical realism is that of merger, which makes it an excellent genre for cultural considerations. J.M. Wise uses the term “third culture kids” to describe the cultural identity of those who have dual cultural background. This “third culture” is a hybrid creation. As an American of German descent, I identify with this hybridization and it is a theme which Into the Water is based in. The main characters are born of the hybridization of European culture and Native American culture as well as the hybridization of human and animal. In this way, using the mode of magical realism allowed me to express the exploration of culture by making cultural hybridization literal through symbolism.
Other Unifying Symbolic Motifs:
Water, which is traditionally associated with rebirth and change. “When Bridgette Went Into the Water” uses this symbolism when Bridgette crosses the Atlantic ocean to become the first (chronological) character to be changed by magic.
Birds, especially birds of prey, and specifically the falcon. Common falcon symbolism associates the bird with sight/illumination, which reinforces the role of the falcon as totem guide in the stories “There Once Was a Little Boy Who Walked Very, Very Far” and “Needle and Thread.”
Next Steps:
I have submitted stories from this collection for publication (they’re currently being reviewed by multiple magazines). I completed the first draft of a short novel of 53,000 words, Crossroads Promise, in September. The novel continues to develop the mythology introduced in Into the Water. I have now begun revisions on the novel, and, after another review, will begin submitting that novel to agents.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Defense Prep
This weekend my goal is to focus on preparing to defend my thesis. Yesterday I met with Juan for a few minutes to give me an idea of where to focus my preparation.
Juan: I can't tell you the specific questions we'll ask.
Me: Right.
Juan: But, in broad strokes, here's what might come up...
I jotted some notes. It was pretty much what I expected would come up, so no worries there. My prep. plan is to review everything I've written (i.e. re-read the whole shebang). Then, I'm going to write out notes for myself with some key points from the critics I discussed in my intro as well as a list of authors who've influeced me for this project and key points about them too.
Also, as part of my defense, I'll be spending a few minutes reading an excerpt from the fiction part.
All together, here are the steps of the defense itself:
1. I talk for about 15-20 minutes about my thesis
2. My committee members ask me questions about the theory/fiction (this is the defense part)
3. The audience has a chance to ask questions
4. Everyone leaves the room so the committee can confer & decide if I "pass" or not
5. The committee members sign some paperwork
After the defense, there's more administrative/paperwork type stuff to do, then my thesis goes to Fort Collins, and I get my degree about one semester later. So, you know, it's home stretch type stuff right now, which is nice.
Juan: I can't tell you the specific questions we'll ask.
Me: Right.
Juan: But, in broad strokes, here's what might come up...
I jotted some notes. It was pretty much what I expected would come up, so no worries there. My prep. plan is to review everything I've written (i.e. re-read the whole shebang). Then, I'm going to write out notes for myself with some key points from the critics I discussed in my intro as well as a list of authors who've influeced me for this project and key points about them too.
Also, as part of my defense, I'll be spending a few minutes reading an excerpt from the fiction part.
All together, here are the steps of the defense itself:
1. I talk for about 15-20 minutes about my thesis
2. My committee members ask me questions about the theory/fiction (this is the defense part)
3. The audience has a chance to ask questions
4. Everyone leaves the room so the committee can confer & decide if I "pass" or not
5. The committee members sign some paperwork
After the defense, there's more administrative/paperwork type stuff to do, then my thesis goes to Fort Collins, and I get my degree about one semester later. So, you know, it's home stretch type stuff right now, which is nice.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thesis Defense
It's official, folks. My thesis is pretty much done. I'll be defending Thursday, November 12. Then it's off to Fort Collins for approval.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
In Case You Need It
Today I got my Thesis preface back from Katherine and Juan, written over with notes for at least one more revision. To combat my bummed-ness, I hopped over to youtube for a GBS fix, starting with "Ordinary Day." I thought I'd pass on the resulting good vibes:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Thesis Cutting Room Floor
Today, before I add any more words to Cass, I'm doing another revision pass on my thesis preface. One bit that I really like is getting cut, but I didn't want to murder it completely, and it's a pretty stand-alone-y paragraph, so I'm going to share it with you:
During the course of creating the collection, I became more and more interested in the possibilities of the mythology in it. The relationship between the animalistic and magical evokes cultures that believe in the supernatural as a course of fact. A shaman casts a spell and a sick child becomes well. Modern science explains the correlation as a placebo effect, but the child believes in the magic. Either way, the end result is the same. One way or another, the spell worked. I immediately thought of the Anthropology 451 course I took, titled “Culture/Deviance/Psychopathology.” During that course, we discussed Voodoo death, a very real, very extreme example of the effectiveness of a killing curse. Our human relationship with magic is ongoing, even in an era where we cleave to science as the explainer of all things. The genres of magical realism, urban fantasy, high fantasy, and modern fairy tales thrive and seem to say that, even now, science is not enough for us.
During the course of creating the collection, I became more and more interested in the possibilities of the mythology in it. The relationship between the animalistic and magical evokes cultures that believe in the supernatural as a course of fact. A shaman casts a spell and a sick child becomes well. Modern science explains the correlation as a placebo effect, but the child believes in the magic. Either way, the end result is the same. One way or another, the spell worked. I immediately thought of the Anthropology 451 course I took, titled “Culture/Deviance/Psychopathology.” During that course, we discussed Voodoo death, a very real, very extreme example of the effectiveness of a killing curse. Our human relationship with magic is ongoing, even in an era where we cleave to science as the explainer of all things. The genres of magical realism, urban fantasy, high fantasy, and modern fairy tales thrive and seem to say that, even now, science is not enough for us.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Revision, Round 3-ish
Today I completed the latest round of revisions on my thesis intro. I feel... lighter.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Comparison
Writers get compared to other writers all the time. Jenny even once compared me to Neil Gaiman (I love you Jenny!).
In the process of revising my thesis based on Katherine and Ted's comments, I'm doing more reading. Part of that reading includes some short stories that Juan has recommended to me because he sees similarity between me and them. I've read almost all the recommended stories, they come out of an anthology titled Story Matters.
It is strange, to say the least, to read these and think, "This is how Juan sees my writing." Some of them make sense to me, like the story by Ha Jin. Some of them make me wonder where he sees the correlation. Either way, it's an adventure.
The stories:
"River of Names" by Dorothy Allison
"After I Was Thrown into the River an Before I Drowned" by Dave Eggers (he was the first writer who came to Juan's mind when he gave me the recommendations, and I think it was more for the author interview than the story itself)
"Going" by Amy Hempel
"Love in the Air" by Ha Jin
"A Temporary Matter" by Jhumpa Lahiri
"Bobby Jackson" by Joan Silber
"Father Returns from the Mountain" by Luis Alberto Urrea
In the process of revising my thesis based on Katherine and Ted's comments, I'm doing more reading. Part of that reading includes some short stories that Juan has recommended to me because he sees similarity between me and them. I've read almost all the recommended stories, they come out of an anthology titled Story Matters.
It is strange, to say the least, to read these and think, "This is how Juan sees my writing." Some of them make sense to me, like the story by Ha Jin. Some of them make me wonder where he sees the correlation. Either way, it's an adventure.
The stories:
"River of Names" by Dorothy Allison
"After I Was Thrown into the River an Before I Drowned" by Dave Eggers (he was the first writer who came to Juan's mind when he gave me the recommendations, and I think it was more for the author interview than the story itself)
"Going" by Amy Hempel
"Love in the Air" by Ha Jin
"A Temporary Matter" by Jhumpa Lahiri
"Bobby Jackson" by Joan Silber
"Father Returns from the Mountain" by Luis Alberto Urrea
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
You, Me, and the Power of We
This month, in honor of working with my committee to revise & defend my thesis, is all about collaboration.
Writers, as Jenny has often commented, are strange creatures because we like to form these critique groups which means we get all excited about actually helping our competition, other writers. Of course, the more we critique others, the better we get at our own writing, so it's not entirely selfless.
In any event, this month I challenge you to step up your collaboration. Go above and beyond your normal level of getting other people engaged in your work, and vice versa. Maybe now's the time to try co-writing something. Maybe now's the time to have someone who's never read your work offer their thoughts on it. Or, speaking of critique groups, now would be the perfect time to recruit someone new to join the critique group you belong to.
Think about it and find a way to get more people involved. You never know who will be the person to come up with that great idea that totally fixes your novel's conflict and turns it from blah to brilliant.
Writers, as Jenny has often commented, are strange creatures because we like to form these critique groups which means we get all excited about actually helping our competition, other writers. Of course, the more we critique others, the better we get at our own writing, so it's not entirely selfless.
In any event, this month I challenge you to step up your collaboration. Go above and beyond your normal level of getting other people engaged in your work, and vice versa. Maybe now's the time to try co-writing something. Maybe now's the time to have someone who's never read your work offer their thoughts on it. Or, speaking of critique groups, now would be the perfect time to recruit someone new to join the critique group you belong to.
Think about it and find a way to get more people involved. You never know who will be the person to come up with that great idea that totally fixes your novel's conflict and turns it from blah to brilliant.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Filling Up
May is proving blurry. Today I realized that the next CWC meeting is this coming Monday already. That's only four days away. Holy cow. I've been working on some edits on the 1st 50 pages of Cass from the last critique, but now I've got to push through to do a quick edit on the next 50 pages to submit it to the gang.
I'm working on coffee shop pages now, then later Katherine should have her thesis comments ready for me, then I've got to print out another copy of my thesis for mom and dad, then I'm off to the gym, then I'm aiming for some more time on Cass or working on CWC critiques.
Nothing like deadlines to shake off that restless feeling.
I'm working on coffee shop pages now, then later Katherine should have her thesis comments ready for me, then I've got to print out another copy of my thesis for mom and dad, then I'm off to the gym, then I'm aiming for some more time on Cass or working on CWC critiques.
Nothing like deadlines to shake off that restless feeling.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Restless
I'm on summer vacation. This is the first summer vacation I've had off of both school and work in a very long time - since I was eleven or so, I think. I've always had busy summers since then, and I've been planning to take this one all the way off as a present to myself for getting my thesis done. (It's still not all the way done, as it's under review, but I'm close.
Here I am, about two weeks in, and I'm restless. *Sigh* So much for relaxing. I need something to do. Fortunately, I guessed this might be the way it went and planned out some projects ahead of time. Now my issue is that being home all day is distracting. It looks like I may have to spend some time on campus during my vacation because the change of scenery will help me focus. Funny, isn't it?
Here I am, about two weeks in, and I'm restless. *Sigh* So much for relaxing. I need something to do. Fortunately, I guessed this might be the way it went and planned out some projects ahead of time. Now my issue is that being home all day is distracting. It looks like I may have to spend some time on campus during my vacation because the change of scenery will help me focus. Funny, isn't it?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Printing, Printing, Printing
I've put everything together and, as I write this, I am printing out the full version of my thesis for Katherine and Ted's review. 134 pages, all written by me. Whew.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Preface Feedback, Part 1
Juan just handed my preface back to me with comments. Much to my relief, after hearing stories about some of my peers having to make massive preface overhauls, most of his comments are about expanding on specific ideas and maybe moving a paragraph from here to there. I've got things to revise, but it's minor. Thank George.
I'm thinking today might be a good day to do those revisions. It'll come in handy that I've left my kitchen table a mess of piled books, notes, and miscellaneous papers. Everything is just where I need it.
I'm thinking today might be a good day to do those revisions. It'll come in handy that I've left my kitchen table a mess of piled books, notes, and miscellaneous papers. Everything is just where I need it.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
And Then There Was a Preface
It isn't perfect, and it may not be all that pretty, but it's a complete draft that includes all the important things I needed to talk about and it's to the minimum length. Tomorrow, it will be in Juan's mailbox.
I have never been so glad to have a first draft of anything before in my life.
I have never been so glad to have a first draft of anything before in my life.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A Celebratory Bowl of Ice Cream
I'm eating the last of a bowl of chocolate ice cream with bananas because earlier today I finished the last two stories in my most recent round of revisions. Now I need to finish drafting the preface and it's off to my committee.
Next week. That's the plan. It'll be in Katherine and Ted's hands next week.
Next week. That's the plan. It'll be in Katherine and Ted's hands next week.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Two-fer, or We All Need Our Demons
Amanda's been giving me a hard time lately. See, her husband has been relocated to Arkansas for his job, which means she's moving in June. This also means that she needs to have her thesis done and defended by then. Since she just started working on her thesis in January, this puts her on a tight schedule.
The hard time comes in with the part where she's having to whiz through her thesis and I stalled out on mine.
Amanda: What progress have you made with your thesis this week?
Me: Um... er...
Amanda: (gives me a look that says she's totally unimpressed) Ali, you need to work on your thesis. I have to get mine finished by May so I can defend it in time. May! How long have you been working on yours?
Me: Uh, a while.
Amanda: If I have to haul butt on my thesis, by God, you're going to work on yours.
Me: I am, really, I am.
Then Amanda crosses her arms in front of her and scowls at me.
This is a conversation we've had a few times. Most recently, being today. Yesterday I cleared off my kitchen table, making it just right for holding my thesis and critiqued copies of my thesis to work from. Today I sat down at said table and revised two thesis stories.
So there, Amanda :p
The hard time comes in with the part where she's having to whiz through her thesis and I stalled out on mine.
Amanda: What progress have you made with your thesis this week?
Me: Um... er...
Amanda: (gives me a look that says she's totally unimpressed) Ali, you need to work on your thesis. I have to get mine finished by May so I can defend it in time. May! How long have you been working on yours?
Me: Uh, a while.
Amanda: If I have to haul butt on my thesis, by God, you're going to work on yours.
Me: I am, really, I am.
Then Amanda crosses her arms in front of her and scowls at me.
This is a conversation we've had a few times. Most recently, being today. Yesterday I cleared off my kitchen table, making it just right for holding my thesis and critiqued copies of my thesis to work from. Today I sat down at said table and revised two thesis stories.
So there, Amanda :p
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Shutting It Down
It's kind of funny to me that my main goal for April, a spring month chock full of fresh starts and new beginnings, is to wrap things up.
The classes I'm teaching are going to be over by the 1st week of May, so I'm wrapping that up. More importantly, I'm going to be kicking my own butt about my thesis. My progress on the thesis has been quite unremarkable of late, and that makes me irked with myself. So, I need to get all of this set of revisions done and my preface drafted by the end of the month.
Non-negotiable.
Non-negotiable.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Out Like a Lamb? March Summation.
The new laptop is working a treat. Definitely my favorite toy for the year. My Cass word count is around 33,000 right now, which makes me happy.
My weekly three-tiered to do list plan was useful in that it jarred me out of an unproductive rut, but I never got to the point of being fully engaged in it. The most helpful part of it was having specific, measurable goals each day. That's the part I'm going to keep up with.
New plan - scrap the printed out weekly calendar in favor of a whiteboard on the fridge that's more easily modifiable and interactive.
My productivity plan for March ultimately had partial success and while the results aren't wildly amazing, the overall results aren't too shabby. How'd your month go?
My weekly three-tiered to do list plan was useful in that it jarred me out of an unproductive rut, but I never got to the point of being fully engaged in it. The most helpful part of it was having specific, measurable goals each day. That's the part I'm going to keep up with.
New plan - scrap the printed out weekly calendar in favor of a whiteboard on the fridge that's more easily modifiable and interactive.
My productivity plan for March ultimately had partial success and while the results aren't wildly amazing, the overall results aren't too shabby. How'd your month go?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
"ould" Edits
I'm working on draft three of "When Bridgette Went Into the Water" right now. It's taken me a while to figure out how to approach revising it, but now I've finally decided and progress is going well. Among larger, more global, changes, I've also noticed a need to weed out a large number of words ending in "ould." Sometimes they serve a purpose, but usually they're just in the way. I didn't realize how many of them I had in this story until today.
"She could feel..." and the like have cropped up all over.
Well, a little bit of CTRL+F and now it's less of that and more "She felt..." which is much nicer.
"She could feel..." and the like have cropped up all over.
Well, a little bit of CTRL+F and now it's less of that and more "She felt..." which is much nicer.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Finishing Honeymoon Edits
"The Honeymoon of Mr. and Mrs. Roux" is one of the three major overhaul stories in my thesis (the others being "Albatross" and "When Bridgette Went Into the Water") and it's been the biggest 2nd time revision thus far. Two big details got changed, a few minor ones, and loads of things got either cut or condensed.
By the end, I went from 7,420 words down to 6,467. Put another way, that's about 13% of the story gone. I feel like I've accomplished something.
I didn't keep track of how long it took me exactly, but it took at least an hour out of today and boy am I ever glad to see the end of it. Plenty more stories to go, but just about all of the others will be easier revisions.
By the end, I went from 7,420 words down to 6,467. Put another way, that's about 13% of the story gone. I feel like I've accomplished something.
I didn't keep track of how long it took me exactly, but it took at least an hour out of today and boy am I ever glad to see the end of it. Plenty more stories to go, but just about all of the others will be easier revisions.
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